


Wings

by klutzy34



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Friendship, Guardian Angels, Injury, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-09-16 18:02:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9283643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klutzy34/pseuds/klutzy34
Summary: Two times Steve dismissed something he noticed about Danny and the third time he couldn't.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I just always wanted to write a little thing where Danny was a guardian angel because I loved the idea. Crossposted to Tumblr.

Steve convinced himself it was a trick of the light suddenly entering the back of the truck, illuminating Danny holding up the flap. He wasn’t in the best of mindsets anyway, his body aching from the brutal beating he received before they loaded him in. He blinked away the image of shadowy wings stretching out behind his partner, laughing it off when he thought about it later.

So surprised he wasn’t about to die that he imagined his partner as his guardian angel. Absolutely ridiculous.

———–

The second time, Steve couldn’t tell reality from fantasy. His father was alive, wasn’t he - no, no he wasn’t. He died five years ago, at the hands of a man Danny had just casually tortured, claiming terrorists didn’t deserve the same rights after what they did. No, Danny didn’t torture Hesse, Hesse died in prison, a hit job by Wo Fat. The same man who laid just feet from Steve, shot through the head. Gone. Finally gone, no longer leaving Steve to question what he might be doing, what he might have to expect out of him.

As Danny’s hand soothed the spot on the back of his neck, as Steve looked up at him, an anchor in a world unsettled, he thought he saw the faint outline of wings, bringing memories long forgotten from the back of his mind.

It was the drugs, of course. He wasn’t thinking clearly and his team, they’d just rescued him again. He would see them as his guardian angels in such a state.

————

The third time was undeniable, Steve trying to stay awake in the ambulance but feeling tired, oh so tired. He wanted to close his eyes, to stop fighting, but something kept him hanging on. Danny, hovering over him, bloody and beaten but still upright, hand resting on Steve’s wrist as the paramedics moved around him. Steve faintly found it odd that they’d let him come along with as much as they needed to do, but he didn’t care.

It was then that he saw them again, no longer faint, but dark gray and soft, tucked behind Danny’s back. It seemed so odd and yet Steve felt comforted, the thought that someone was looking out for him spreading warmth over his body and for a moment, a brief moment, the pain dulled and he felt at peace. He couldn’t move his hand to grasp Danny’s, too weak to move, but he locked eyes with him for seconds before they closed and he slipped into darkness.

———–

“You have wings.” The words tumbled out of Steve’s mouth as the two of them sat in silence after the room had cleared out. In the bed on the other side of the room, Danny’s head snapped up and he turned to look at Steve, eyes wide.

“How did you - ” His voice faint, he drew a hand through his hair and looked away. “Christ, Steve. You were that close to - ” Danny’s voice broke and he swallowed hard, hands dropping into his lap. “I knew. I knew but I didn’t want to - _Christ, Steve_ ,” he whispered again.

“So that’s a yes,” Steve pressed, mulling that over for a moment before he continued. “Have you always, you know, had…”

“No.” The answer came abruptly, followed by a soft laugh from Danny. “No, those came when our glorious Powers That Be,” he stated, moving his hands wide to gesture upwards, “plucked me from the line at the gates and offered me the chance to return. Seems their heavenly choir ain’t so good with managing humans, can’t relate, so they dosed humans with a little angelic mojo and sent ‘em back, made a deal. I got more time with Grace and in exchange, I looked out for some people deemed important, the ones that kept doing good for the world. People like you, Chin, Kono, Lou.”

Steve took that in, staring blankly at the wall, before he started to laugh. Danny stared over at him, expression becoming worried. “Babe, did you finally snap? Do I need to call someone in to administer some more happy juice?” Steve shook his head, wincing as his body reminded him that he was far from healed despite the pain medication.

“You’re my guardian angel. I’ve thought it before, jokingly, after all the times you’ve come for me, but still.”

Danny sighed, staring at his hands. “Yeah, well, that wasn’t just the job. I mean…I love you. I’d come for you regardless,” he murmured and suddenly, the distance between them was too far. Steve wanted to stumble out of bed, climb into Danny’s, and curl around him. As if Danny could hear his thoughts - and maybe he could - his partner slowly slid from the bed, cringing as he moved.

As he eased into bed, careful not to jostle Steve, the warmth and feeling of being loved returned and Steve curled into his side, careful not to move too much. He felt the light brush of something soft against his body, but when he opened his eyes to look, it was just Danny, not the gorgeous wings. But somehow, he felt it. His fingers slipped between Danny’s and he felt his partner press a soft kiss against the top of his head. Closing his eyes again, he tucked away the myriad of questions he had in favor of the comfort, chasing away, for the moment, the conflicted feelings that came with being so close to death.

“Love you, Steve,” Danny murmured, almost too quiet even in the near silent room. Steve’s grip tightened in his and he sighed, feeling at peace.

“Love you too, Danno. Thanks for being there.” He could feel, rather than see, Danny’s smile.

“There was never another option, babe. Never.”


	2. Chapter 2

The intent was to protect Steve as much as he could from the blast of the dirty bomb, but the concussion blast sent him sprawling over Steve’s head and face first into the dirt. His ears rung loudly and for a few moments all he could do was lay there, coughing, while debris rained down around them. When he opened his eyes again, Steve was pushing to a sitting position, his lips forming words that Danny couldn’t hear. 

Danny slowly pushed up onto his hands and knees, drawing in a deep breath. With a sharp shake, bits of grass and dirt shook free of his wings and they tucked up behind his back, out of the way as he slowly turned to sit down heavily and hold his head in his hands. Angelic grace he may have had entwined into his human DNA, but that didn’t stop him from suffering the same indignities of the human race that every other mortal did. Unfortunately, it made sense given his status was still very much mortal. 

And thanks to the blast, his wings hadn’t done a damn thing to protect Steve like he’d hoped. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder, the sudden weight almost toppling him over when Steve leaned too heavily. Before he could demand what Steve was up to - not that Steve would be hearing much more than he did at the moment - Steve was reaching up, fingers running over the feathers, his eyes wide, mouth open in a look of wonder that made Danny forget for a moment that he was looking at possibly one of the most damaged human beings on this earth. 

The feeling of Steve’s fingers against the feathers of his wings sent a shiver down Danny’s back that overrode the aching feeling of being tossed around in the explosion for just a moment. He flexed them against Steve’s hand with the practiced ease that came with experience. Then Steve was plucking out stubborn pieces of debris, tossing it aside, and he found the twin holes where the wings ripped through the fabric of his shirt. He could feel the palm press between his shoulder blades. 

“You said - “ Steve shouted, then shook his head, rubbing at his ears and wincing. Drawing in a breath, he started again. “You said you were my guardian angel and I know - I know what I thought I saw, but this - Danno, you’re really an angel.” The shouting and ringing in harmony made it hard to discern the tone.   


“Yeah, some angel,” Danny shouted back. With some difficulty, he pushed to his feet, then leaned forward, hands resting on his knees as his head spun, his body trying to regain equilibrium. “I didn’t do much to protect you right then, did I? You’re the one who protected us.”   


As he drew in a deep breath, suddenly Steve’s hand was on his shoulder. He glanced up, his partner still staring in wonder at the wings before he met Danny’s eyes again. He grinned that shit-eating grin that alternately made him want to kiss and smack him.

“Maybe that’s because, buddy, even guardian angels need a little guarding sometimes.”


End file.
